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David, I have an unmolested original '62 Sprite (1743 miles from new) and the bumper mounts (riser brackets) exit the front valance in the center of the holes. Either a new front valance was installed and not aligned (manufactured?) properly or maybe the front arms were replaced/repaired and were 'straightened' a bit to give them the misalignment. Biff Jones '59 Bugeye, 'Kermit' '62 Sprite, 'Ole Gray' '71 Midget, 'Freebie' http://sprites2.homestead.com/ "Biff" 27913... MORE
I am in the process of rebuilding a 65 Sprite and one of the small jobs I have just completed is replacing the rusted out riser brackets which extend the chassis to provide the anchorage points for the front bumper. Rather than buy the brackets I fabricated new ones using the old parts as a pattern. Before I removed the old brackets from the car I noticed that they poked through the front valance panel a bit too low and the two holes in the valance had been modified to accommodate this ( I put this down to the... MORE
Stewart If you're re-fitting the RB's I really see no point (or benefit) of fitting 1275 springs, there's a lot more to the ride height than simply changing the springs. Yes, that's what I mean by 'half wings'. I got away with only fitting the small repair sections to the lower 12 inches of the area behind the rear wheel. I debated at length about whether to fit 'half wings' or the smaller repair sections and decided in the end that the 'inner wings' weren't that bad and as most of the rear wing was in pretty good condition... MORE
The height legislation was to do with the bumpers themselves. The performance/handling is a very good reason to leave them off (it's equivalent to about a 5 bhp increase, considering the improved power to weight ratio!) so a bit of time spent grinding off the front mountings is well worth it, especially since you already have chrome bumper front wings Are your CB wings original BL ones or pattern ones? The arch radius should be the same for both CB and RB cars. As I said earlier, the mountings are slightly different, so you would probably need to lower... MORE
Stewart You need to rebuild the 'inner arches' first, then the 'boot luggage extensions' (the bit between the boot floor and outer wing) then finally the outer wing. You'll find that the 'inner arches' butt up to the 'boot luggage extensions'. Incidentaly, are you fitting 'half' outer wings? If not you'll need to because you'll have to take off 'half' the outer wing to be able to get to the 'inner wings'. Regarding the springs - that depends on whether you're re-fitting the RB's, not much point fitting 1275 springs if you're re-fitting RB bumbers. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 27840... MORE
Peter... My mechanic packs the oil pump with..... grease!! Same grease he uses when lubricating chassis/suspension grease nipples. He will also turn the engine over with a drill via the distributor drive to ensure oil pressure before the actual start. His "way". Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 27839... MORE
the access is a better if you do the inner bits first, but remember to keep trying the new outer panels in place as you fit each bit to make sure it'll all look ok in the end. Regarding fitting 1275 springs, are you taking the rubber bumpers off? (ideal time to do it, if you are doing bodywork in the rear light area anyway) If so, bear in mind the spring mountings were altered slightly for RB cars so just changing the springs will not lower the car all the way to the 1275's ride height. If you... MORE
Samuel, The roads down South East are busy and full of morons. However up in Yorksh ire you will find there are lots of empty roads just great for spridget dri ving. Same for the rest of the country really , cities like Birmingham and Manchester and the immediate hinterland are busy , but that's the same in t he 'States. Same for our Motorways your Interstates / turnpikes. Except for the M25 around London you will easily keep up with the flow of traffic there , just don't forget to pay for your Pay and Display parking t... MORE
I need help. Here's what happened. Began restoration about 10 years ago. Thought it would go faster than it did, so early on I had the engine done. It was built by Dave Tabor of Comptune, the guys who built all the SCCA champ 1275 motors. Anyway, I told Dave I wanted a 1967 street spec high compression engine. I know he used a factory crank and cam. I believe he used aftermarket pistons that he preferred with a compression of about 8.9 to 1. He used a factory non-emission head, redone to run unleaded. Job was completed many... MORE
Forgive me Nigel... For some reason I thought your name was Alan to. The reason why I asked virtually the same question was because I wanted you (or someone else) to elaborate a little more on the modification necessary to install the Frogeye rear end on a Midget. What might seem to be a serious modification for one person might not be so to another... Thank you Nigel for taking the time to answer my rookie questions. Your help is greatly appreciated. I like your suggestion of using a one piece fiberglass rear. I will most likely go that... MORE
Thanks Alan And thank you Robert B. Houston and Rex Urban for your replies. I will admit. My knowledge of 60s British cars is somewhat limited. I mainly mess with 80s-90s RWD Imports like the MR2, Supra, 240SX, 300ZX, etc.. I dont know why I didnt see that the Silver Sprite was a Frogeye being that the rear end is the only part I like on the Frogeye. I think I need glasses. Anyway... Is it that hard to take the rear panels of a Frogeye and install them on a Spridget? Is it a mater of traditionally replacing... MORE
I got the rules for my 1965 MGB. You need so many points, you get points for original engine, running gear, suspension steering rack etc. A heritage shell counts as an original body if it was the same as the old rusty one, minus the rust that is, on the basis that you are replacing like for like and its a valid spare bit. A problem for MK1 MGBs as you can only get MK2 shells. I am sure these rules are on the MGOC or DLVC web sites terry "terry.isherwood" 27676... MORE
I read this this somewhere before, the bit I don't agree with is ..... Recently I heard of another reason that makes a lot of sense, early powered boats used automotive engines and often were simply the engine in the middle of a boat with an extension on the rear of the crankshaft to drive a propeller at the back of the boat. But I say The early engined boats were steam driven , as everybody knows Steam engines run just as fast in either direction . (simple reversing lever on the valve gear) Not withstanding that, the first... MORE
In the UK, if you re-shell a car with anything other than a Heritage shell (which is classed as a replacement/spare part), strictly speaking, the car should be registered on a Q plate as being of indeterminate age so even if he did actually use a 1968 'chassis', he still wouldn't get a 'G' registration. Regards David "David Jacobs" 27605... MORE
hi guys (bloody hell I've got to say and girly's now) I'm confused. Someone please put me out of my state of confusion. Spotted this one ebay (don't ask how or why) http://tinyurl.com/zjbe Can someone please explain to me why this person has got a supposed 'tax exempt' Rubber Bumpered MG BGT ? Let start from some premises shall we. Tax exempt cars are those made before 1st January 1972, and as we all know, Rubber Bumpered cars were not made before 1972. He's saying he used a 1968 'chassis' and put in his 1974 running gear. Ummm but... MORE
yes, but our steering wheels are on the right side of the car ;-) David "David Jacobs" 27568... MORE
when you pull just the engine by itself, you have to lift it slightly before you can move it forwards, so that the front pulley clears the cross member (assuming you have an A series engined car, not a 1500 - the cross member is different) However, the top of the gearbox comes up against the heater ducting below the battery tray, so you have to lift a bit and pull a bit repeatedly and gradually work the thing past all the obstructions. If you pull the engine and 'box together, it's slightly easier from this respect, but you... MORE
"yes, but our steering wheels...." true, true.....good point, David! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 27569... MORE
Thanks, David.... I know nothing about the later spring- loaded carbs considering I never used them. Never like the idea of the needle running up against the jet...something about this that goes "against the grain" so to speak, despite the fact they meter fuel more precisely (or so I read). But, if you couldn't measure the wear at 106K, I wonder why they bother talking about it in books? Very strange 'cause that's pretty damn miniscule wear they're talkin' about. :) The latest Spridget I ever owned was a '74 who's engine came with emissions carbs but "fixed" needles.... MORE
Rich... "Spring-loaded"? Forget about the centering and "center" on replacing now and then, 'cause these don't center at all. They instead wear against one another and I forget which metal is softer and which wears first...but in time, they both wear. I assume playing with the timing to adjust idle is a temporary fix? Sure. Anyway, you've found part of the problem. Frank C.'s post should give you a little more food for thought! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 27547... MORE
Don, Hope it's not rude to interrupt. I have exactly the same situation in my Midge and have decided on a new clutch/throwout assembly. The clutch works fine under moderate acceleration but whenever I put my foot into it is slips badly in any gear. It also seems to get worse the longer I have the car out. Without taking the car apart I have narrowed it to two possiblities. Oil leakage or old springs. I used the original clutch from my $500 dollar buy when I installed the engine. I am reliably informed that with age they will... MORE
Chris That 'vision in green' looks far too nice for you, I thought you were looking for one that needed a little work? ;) Seriously though it looks good, nice straight body, nice bright shiny paintwork, sills painted the correct colour black this time, wire wheels look in good condition, useful extras - boot rack and roll over bar and most importantly it looks like it been cared for and looked after. I'd question the total mileage of 14,000 miles, or is that the mileage on the new unleaded reconditioned engine? The seller is also throwing in a new... MORE
Duncan I'm not really sure either, but I think it's by 'application' ie what car they were fitted to. eg AUD136 was fitted to the Midget MkII, 1098, 1964 and AH Sprite MKIII 1963/4 and MKIII, 1968/9 Needle sizes were RICH H6, STD AN, Weak GG Blue Spring Colour AUD266 was fitted to the Midget MkIII, 1275 USA spec 1968 Needle sizes were STD AN, Blue Spring AUD328 was fitted to the Midget MKIII, 1275 USA spec, 1968/9 Needle sizes were STD AAC, Blue Spring From what I can tell all the HS2 throttle sizes were 1/1/4. All info... MORE
From: amukdigiphoto [mailto: amukdigiphoto@... ] Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 5:46 AM To: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com Subject: [midgetsprite] Re: SU Question Duncan I'm not really sure either, but I think it's by 'application' ie what car they were fitted to. eg AUD136 was fitted to the Midget MkII, 1098, 1964 and AH Sprite MKIII 1963/4 and MKIII, 1968/9 Needle sizes were RICH H6, STD AN, Weak GG Blue Spring Colour AUD266 was fitted to the Midget MkIII, 1275 USA spec 1968 Needle sizes were STD AN, Blue Spring AUD328 was fitted to the Midget MKIII, 1275 USA spec, 1968/9 Needle sizes... MORE
Jim... Since you've gone with an Ignitor (PerTronix?) why not go with the same (PerTronix) wires. Assume (ass-u-me) you are using one of their coils as well? Otherwise, Accel, NGK, Magnecor, etc. are available at performance speed shops. Go with a metal conductor type like the original Lucas "Bumblebee" performance wire more or less, in 7 or 8mm depending upon whether you choose to use the stock Lucas resistor tips. If you really want to go crazy with wires and want something really wild and very well insulated (and "built")....go Nology Hot Wires. Vizard dynoed these and found they... MORE
